Q: I’ve been looking for a medium-sized perennial for my flower bed that will provide some color during the winter. Some of my plant catalogs show a perennial called Lenten rose that blooms in winter and I would like to try them in my garden. Will they survive in our low winter chill climate?

A: Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis, is a winter to spring blooming perennial that I’ve grown in my garden for years. It performs quite well in Southern California as long as its light and soil requirements are met. Choose a site that receives light to medium shade and has a moist soil enriched with organic matter. I find that an early spring feeding and another in early summer with a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants is sufficient. The plants never seem to go completely dormant; green leaves are present virtually all year. Individual leaves may die, but there are always others taking their place.

The Lenten roses in my garden start blooming in January and continue for several months, and I’m sure you could expect the same bloom period. Interestingly, the colorful “blooms” that we consider flowers are actually bracts surrounding the tiny true flowers. The long-lasting blooms may be single or double, and greenish-white, rose or purple. They are available solid-colored, speckled, streaked or edged with contrasting color. Lenten roses make good cut flowers if you seal the stem by dipping the cut stem into boiling water before placing the flowers in a vase.

If you don’t cut the flowers, but allow them to set and shed seed, your plantings will naturalize readily. The seedling plants may have flower colors similar to the parent plant or a bit different, but they’re always very pretty and provide a welcome splash of color when other perennials are dormant.

Q: Our Fuerte avocado tree has its first crop of fruit on it. The tag on the tree said that the harvest season is November to June, but the fruits hanging on the tree are pretty hard. How can I tell when they are ready to harvest?

A: Like pears, avocados do not soften on the tree so it’s difficult to determine when they are ripe. There is a slight change in skin color when they ripen, but it is difficult to detect. Those with a green skin, such as your Fuerte, will acquire a slight yellowish tinge; those with a dark skin, such as the Hass, will simply appear slightly greener. It’s better to simply cut one from the tree and see if it softens without shriveling when stored for a few days at room temperature. If it ripens satisfactorily, you can be pretty sure that the rest of the crop is probably mature also.